For awhile now, we’ve had this desire to start visiting local shops and farms. We’ve talked about doing more in the community of Tampa, FL and the surrounding areas. We were so used to living a certain way, always going to the city for groceries and forgot how important it was to go back to the basics of how we want to live. You know, to make sure we support small business, connect with others who are like-minded, shop local and of course be mindful of what we put in our bodies. What better way to do that and show it by picking right from the tree it was grown on?

Because I grew up in a small rural area, I know the importance of buying local. My Grandfather was a farmer his entire live in the town of High Springs, FL. We spent our summers picking and shelling acre peas, watermelon and tobacco. Yes! I was that girl who did it all. To us, it wasn’t a chore. It was the only way we knew how to live and we loved it and had fun doing it!

So this morning we surprised the kids and took them out to pick peaches at The Southern Peach Company. I’ve always been a country girl. So this was so exciting for me. I love farming, horses and a place to lay out in an open field watch the stars at night. You know, catching fire flies and having the ability to be as loud as you want without the next door neighbor telling you to “Shhhhh….”. My kids knows NOTHING about that life! Ha!

This place is our hidden gem! I found out about it because a friend, who knew that this is my kind of thing, tagged me in a post on Facebook. Now THIS is how I want to spend my weekends! I was so glad she thought of me, we came the as soon as we could come. Not to mention, it’s about 15 minutes away from our house down a long rural road. No red lights, no traffic. Just a long beautiful from what seems to be an endless road.

All the way there, the kids kept asking us “Where are we going?” And I kept repeating “It’s a surprise!!” :D. When we finally arrived, they got out of the car and literally started to pick up peaches off the ground and wanted to eat them. Of course they didn’t but the peaches looked that good! #selfcontrolLook at those faces!! They wanted to eat them so bad!!

Why you should buy from local farmers?

While we were out walking, I wanted to create an opportunity with the kids to talk about why it’s important to shop with local farmers. We talked about how the food is literally grown in our back yards. By shopping local, you’re supporting small businesses, which helps boost our local government. That money spent locally stays in our community. And for someone like Zuri, it could also allow him to have healthier skin, being that he has eczema. For him, the foods are much easier for him to each and not have a reaction. A few other reasons we discussed were better taste, it’s healthier, no pesticides, it’s fun, it’s affordable and we have more of a variety.

We’re glad that you were able to stop by to read up on our adventure this morning. Do you shop local? We would love for you to come out with us next time.